Video: Pastoral Response to #WakeUpOlive (Bethel’s Dead-Raising Charade)
After an immense amount of feedback poured in regarding Bethel Church’s attempt at raising a two-year old little girl from the dead, it became clear that a pastoral response would help provide clarity for many confused people.
The sweet little girl who died is named Olive. She is the daughter of two major leaders involved with Bethel Music. The fog of confusion only intensified when Kari Jobe and other mainstream radio artists began to claim that their “Jesus” guaranteed that the dead would be raised, and others commanded God to do what Jesus’ death paid for. Namely, that He produce “guaranteed” signs and wonders, and in this case, a resurrected little girl.
This theological viewpoint on raising the dead stems from their belief that when Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live…” (John 11:25), that He meant we could raise someone from the dead “in Jesus’ name,” under the guarantee that Jesus said He was “the resurrection.” Unfortunately, those who hold this view have been poorly taught and severely misguided; missing the eternal resurrection that Jesus was referring to. All of this only multiples the heart-breaking reality surrounding this situation.
In the end, our concern is for the hearts of people involved, and the wave of confusion this sort of misguided effort causes. Scripture is clear about our supernatural God! I personally believe that we should pray for miracles, but this sort of circus is not how the scene looked surrounding the tomb of Lazarus or how God has called us to pray for the miraculous to occur. Most of all, if someone claims to wield supernatural gifts (as the leaders of Bethel do), then why not simple go the morgue and command her to raise from the dead? Further, why not do that for the other dead people in the morgue?
To shed further light on this issue and provide biblical truths in contrast to the confusion propagated by Bethel, we filmed this 25-minute video for you:
